Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

i want to thank you

did you ever just hear a song and it absolutely just resonates with you?  when i first heard this song by karen peck, i couldn’t get it out of my head.  i just adore it and thought some of y’all might enjoy it as well.

To the guy who left the pamphlet on the midnight Greyhound bus,
that asked me if i new where i was going,
to the late night TV preacher when i couldn’t sleep a wink,
reminding me there’s peace for those who know Him,
to the kid who wore the T-shirt that said,
“Elvis is cool, but Jesus is the one and only King”
I want to thank you for the witness you have been
I want to thank you for reminding me of Him
For the way your’e unashamed to show your faith
In a world that needs His mercy and His grace
I want to thank you
To the local gospel DJ who works every single night,
Playing songs to reach the nonbelievers,
To the little white-haired lady who works at the SACK’N’Save
Who always says “God Bless You” when you see her,
To a mom and dad who spent a lifetime on their knees,
Praying for a child they loved so dear,
I wish i told them more while they were here,
I want to thank you for the witness you have been
I want to thank you for reminding me of Him
For the way your’e unashamed to show your faith
In a world that needs His mercy and His grace
I want to thank you
Some of them were family and some of them were friends,
Some of them were strangers,
But all were heaven- sent.
I want to thank you
I want to thank you
For the way you’re unashamed to show your faith
In a world that needs His mercy and His grace
I want to thank you
I want to thank you

out for now

~kisses
[jetpack-related-posts]

Dating Vs. Courtship

when i was a teenager, i couldn’t wait to turn 16 and start dating.  i actually didn’t know there were any other options and had never heard of courtship.  i had a few long term relationships, got my heart broken and accumulated suitcase after suitcase of emotional baggage.  those emotional scars would shape and transform the person i was.

as i’ve grown older, i’ve purposely learned more about courtship.  courtship is also a topic that’s important to me because i think a lot of Christian young people have had their hearts broken through dating.  as a mama, i want to protect my kids from that.  i’m purposely trying to cultivate a courtship mindset in my littles.

like I said earlier, anyone who’s played the dating game knows that a broken heart or hurt feelings is part of the package. it’s unavoidable, period. you place your heart in the hands of different people in hopes of YOU finding the one. doesn’t sound very wise, does it? you will, undoubtedly, end up feeling rejected, hurt and abused.

the alternative?  courtship.  what is courtship?  let me try to explain it, from what i’ve learned.  now, i’m not an expert by any means.  so if you see something i’ve wrongly stated, please correct me.
*  courtship involves one guy and one girl.
*  courting is a commitment that this is the person you want to consider the next step with,  you are both ready to consider marriage.  which means courtship isn’t entered into during preteen or early teen years.
*  the young man initiates the process.  this is something our world has gotten away from.  these days, girls and boys ask each other out.
*  courting is learning about selflessness, sacrifice, loyalty and faithfulness.  what you put into practice before you marry, is what your marriage will end up being a reflection of.
*  the couple are getting to know each other with the purpose of considering each other as potential spouses, not just someone to go have a good time with.
*  the girls emotions are protected.  if the young man has no intentions of marrying her, then courtship isn’t entered into.
*  the couple is always chaperoned.  we don’t want to put our kids in horrible tempting situations that are too close for comfort. expecting anyone to resist the temptation for sexual sin when alone with a boy/girlfriend as their relationship grows deeper is a stretch. they have chosen to remain pure until marriage, but that doesn’t mean the temptation won’t be there.  just because our littles love the Lord doesn’t mean they are immune to sexual temptation.  
*  the couples parents provide advise and guidance.  we need to be extra involved in their lives, talking to them, being their friends, advising them, protecting them.  what we don’t need to do is send them alone in a car with their girlfriend or boyfriend for the evening.
*  there is accountability to others in the relationship.
*  the girl’s father is the authority in the process, as his main goal is to protect his daughters heart.  
 

marriage is a very big deal and we need to treat it as such. the world today views marriages as disposable. marriage is a lifelong, God honoring covenant. it should not be entered lightly and it shouldn’t be viewed as something one step above dating. marriage is a picture of Christ and His bride. when our marriage falls apart, what picture are we showing?

so, this is my opinion and outlook on courtship. hopefully through this you’ll learn a little more about it, as i have. and hopefully you’ll consider it for your littles as well.

out for now
~kisses

[jetpack-related-posts]

Thirty Days of Bible Study for Busy Mamas: Colossians 3 {BOOK REVIEW}

Thirty Days of Bible Study for Busy Mamas:
Colossians 3
By: Pam Forster

about the book:

It’s not easy, getting into the Word when your house is full of little ones who need you twenty-four hours a day. But it’s essential. This new book offers special encouragement to busy mothers who need the nourishment of God’s Word in their demanding lives. Here is a simple but deep approach to Bible study, divided into five-minute portions that will help you dig in and really study the Bible. So here’s the challenge: Set aside just five to ten minutes a day – even if it’s just one minute at a time – to study the Bible. This book will help!

last week as i headed out for vacation, i grabbed this book and threw it in my suitcase. i adore reading. but reading on the beach is simply amazing! i knew out hotel had a front porch with lots of rocking chairs…on the boardwalk…with the sunrise right in front of it. i have to admit, i was so excited about this that the first night there, i hardly slept. the next morning, i was up at 5:30 am. i grabbed my book, tablet, pen and Bible and headed to the deck. this is the view i had:

so all of us mama’s know, free time is hard to come by when you have littles. at times, even a shower is a challenge. one thing that should never take a backseat is our time spent with the Lord. we desperately need Him by our side to be the best mama possible. this Bible study will help you do exactly that. it is geared to take 5 minutes a day.  if you can’t do 5 minutes at a time, you can always grab a minute here and a minute there until you’ve completed your daily task.  i actually spent about an hour on the deck each morning and completed the entire study this week.  just me soaking up every single minute i could with Him and basking in the beauty He created.  i cannot even put into words how amazing this was.

i have to tell you, this Bible study spoke directly to my heart. and actually, through this study, God started nudging my heart. and the next Bible study we will be having on the blog was decided upon.

if you are someone who isn’t very good at studying your Bible, this study will help with that! Pam will literally come beside you and walk you through, step by step. how to read it, study it, go through one verse at a time and really understand it. i didn’t want to mark in my Bible a lot, so i printed out a copy of Colossians 3 from Bible Gateway.

i would absolutely highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to dig a little deeper into God’s Word.   

i received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. the opinions i have expressed are my own.

out for now
~kisses

[jetpack-related-posts]